It has been conventional practice to bulk load cylindrical plastic objects such as aerosol caps into corrugated containers as the caps are conveyed from a molding press. Bulk packing of containers is fast and inexpensive insofar as labor is concerned, but is uneconomical insofar as the most sufficient use of containers, storage areas and shipping facilities is concerned. If the cylindrical plastic objects were density packed, i.e. packed in layers and in alternate nested rows in each layer, approximately 20 percent more plastic objects could be placed in each container. However, to do this by hand is extremely labor intensive and, therefore, uneconomical.
This invention is concerned with a mechanism and a method for automatically packing cylindrical plastic objects such as aerosol caps in a container in a density packed arrangement.
An object of this invention is a mechanism for automatically packing cylindrical plastic objects in containers in density packed arrangements as quickly as they are produced by a molding press.
Another object of this invention is a mechanism for automatically packing the plastic objects in layers and in staggered rows in each layer in a container for maximum density.
Another object of this invention is to automatically pack the plastic cylindrical objects in layers in a container without the need for separators between the layers.
Another object of this invention is to automatically rotate each layer of cylindrical plastic objects 180.degree. relative to a lower layer in a container to prevent vertical nesting of the plastic objects without requiring separators between the layers of plastic objects in the container.